FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, July 30, 2015

Peace Corps Celebrates Bring Our Children to Work Day

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 30, 2015 – On Friday, July 31, Peace Corps will celebrate Bring Our Children to Work Day by hosting 50 children ages 5 to 18 at Peace Corps headquarters for a day of fun activities centered around this year’s theme: “Map Your Future.” In addition to children of Peace Corps staff, the agency will welcome youth from D.C. Child and Family Services Agency to participate in interactive and educational sessions that encourage intercultural understanding and planning for the future.

Throughout the day, the youth participants will engage with Peace Corps staff to discuss the importance of education and methods of connecting classroom skills with future career goals. Staff who served as volunteers in Moldova, Kenya, Uganda and Panama will share stories about the culture, food and music of their countries of service. Later, during a session called “Mapping Your Future,” Peace Corps’ career development specialist will work with teenage participants to help them envision a path to achieve their future objectives.

The value of job shadowing reaches beyond Peace Corps’ headquarters—Peace Corps volunteers Kara Boyer and Kayli Ragsdale are working in their communities in Benin on a project meant to expose young women to professional work environments. In collaboration with nine non-governmental organizations across Benin, Boyer and Ragsdale are connecting young women to positive female role models who work at organizations that focus on girls’ empowerment. Through internships, the young women will gain skills in project planning, public speaking, professional translation and graphic design. At the end of the program, each participant will have the chance to design and execute an action plan that addresses community problems.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama called on agencies to expand Bring Our Children to Work Day to include young people who are typically unable to participate, including foster youth and youth who may be at higher risk of dropping out of school, or may not have a parent with a job that allows them to bring their children to work. This expansion will broaden the reach of a day meant to help all of our nation’s daughters and sons achieve brighter futures.

About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends the best and brightest Americans abroad on behalf of the United States to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world. Volunteers work at the grassroots level to develop sustainable solutions that address challenges in education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their service, volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today’s global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, nearly 220,000 Americans of all ages have served in 140 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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